I am honored to serve the residents of District 3 and I am always available for questions, concerns or comments. Please follow me on Facebook or email me directly at patrick.duffy@surpriseaz.gov.
Recycling in Surprise
The City of Surprise has been diligently working to find a recycling solution that will be both cost-effective and sustainable. As a first step towards this goal, drop-off recycling will resume on July 7. Residents can bring materials to the city’s Public Works North Yard, located at 17274 N. Litchfield Road, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays from 8-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. Please note that proof of residency will be required.
A city staff member will be available to assist residents with sorting recyclable materials and helping to ensure that recyclables are not contaminated. To expedite the process, residents are encouraged to pre-sort their recyclable materials before arriving.
Acceptable materials are:
Plastic bottles #1 & #2 (these may include: milk, soda, condiment, water, shampoo, detergent, etc.) Please either make sure lids are screwed to the bottles, or removed completely. Do not recycle removed lids.
Cardboard
Aluminum and tin cans
Please ensure that all materials are clean and dry.
Ribbon Cutting Contest
The City of Surprise Economic Development Department is having a contest to see which business has the best virtual ribbon cutting video. To vote, please visit www.surpriseaz.gov/ribboncutting. The business with the most votes will win a trophy. Participants who answer the fun questions related to the videos will be entered for a chance to win a $30 gift card. New videos will post each week on Monday for a total of five weeks, so be sure to check back for new fun videos! (We are on Week 2 now).
District 3 businesses that held virtual ribbon cuttings include: Jim’s Burgers and Eggs, and Pin Curlz Salon. Good luck!
Roadwork
Traffic control changes on Waddell Road, from Loop 303 to Reems Road began on June 24 and will continue into late summer. When work is completed, the improvements for this segment of Waddell Road will include four additional travel lanes for a total of six travel lanes. This does not include Reems Road to Sarival Road which requires 3 additional travel lanes. Other improvements will include provisions for drainage, sidewalks, bicycle lanes, street lighting, landscaping, and turn lanes. Please see the list of traffic changes below:
Eastbound traffic on Waddell Road between Loop 303 and Reems Road will be shifted to the south side of the road.
Left turns from eastbound Waddell Road will be re-opened at the intersections of Legacy Parc Boulevard and 157th Avenue.
The traffic signal at the intersection of Waddell Road and Sarival Avenue will be activated. The signal will be in the flashing red light phase for 48 hours until being put into normal function mode.
All three lanes on the north side of Waddell Road, Sarival Avenue to Loop 303, will be open for westbound traffic.
The first rate increase from the utility rate study, approved in February 2019, will take effect on July 1. Single family solid waste (trash) customers will pay a monthly base rate of $23.40. This rate is scheduled to increase by $0.10 each fiscal year beginning in 2021, bringing the rate to $23.70 on July 1, 2023. This rate was increased to consider asset replacement and emergency funding needs.
Stormwater Utility rates will also increase by $0.75 for single family residential homes, bringing the utility fee to $2.75 each month. The Stormwater Utility fee was adopted in 2016 and is to enable the city to cover the costs to maintain stormwater related infrastructure and develop projects to protect and prevent problems caused by stormwater such as flooding.
Maricopa County Small Business Help
The Maricopa County Supervisors adopted a plan for the Small Business Relief Program. The program will provide up to $10,000 to qualifying small businesses for expense reimbursement for actual losses due to COVID-19. The program is open to both non-profit and for-profit businesses that are within Maricopa County, but are outside of Phoenix or Mesa, which have already set up similar programs for businesses within their boundaries.
The application period will be open July 6 – July 31 and grants will be provided on a first come, first served basis until either the funds are exhausted, or the grant period closes. Surprise businesses who have been impacted are encouraged to apply.
Council Meeting Schedule
Council does not have any regularly scheduled meetings for the month of July. Further, there will not be a meeting on August 2 due to the Primary Election. The next City Council meeting will be held August 18 at 6:00 p.m. Please note that the Council Chambers are still closed to the public but all meetings are carried live on Surprise TV, and streamed online at www.surpriseaz.gov/surpriseTV. For instructions on how to comment on an item at the meeting, please visit https://www.surpriseaz.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=4802.
Meet and Greet
Please note that the date for my next Meet and Greet has changed. My next meeting will be held on July 11 at 9 a.m. at Spencer’s Place, 15341 W. Waddell Rd. #B101. Due to the uncertainty regarding COVID-19, please check www.surpriseaz.gov for updates and cancellations to my Meet and Greet schedule. As always, please feel free to email me at Patrick.duffy@surpriseaz.gov with any questions or concerns you may have.
Closing
Please continue to check the City of Surprise website, at https://www.surpriseaz.gov/ for updates to meeting schedules and other important announcements.
